With my super-glamorous roomie Amanda (co-founder of PromoJam social media marketing) at a tech mixer in Santa Monica this past weekend. Shine-free, thanks to my arsenal!

I’ve only mentioned this a time or seventy, but my skin is super-oily–which means within a few hours of putting on my makeup, if I don’t use products to sop up the excess grease, I’ve got an Exxon Valdez situation in my T-zone. Tending to my oily T has just become one of those rote things I do without even noticing, like blinking or ordering a third glass of wine.

I know many of you suffer from similar situations, and finding the right products to keep oil at bay can be difficult! Most of the products I’ve used over the year are crap (I mean, let’s call a spade a spade) but I’ve found a few that I love and which work well for me. They are:

OC Eight Professional Mattifying Gel: Nothing will ever top this oil-zapping cream. You apply it over sunscreen/moisturizer but under makeup, and it keeps your skin completely oil-free/shine-free/gross-free for eight full hours. I love it so much. I would buy stock in this product.

Smashbox Photo-Finish Oil-Free Foundation Primer: Because the OC Eight is hard to find, and I often run through it at an alarming rate, Smashbox Photo-Finish is my back-up solution. It’s not quite as OMG-effective as OC Eight, but it still works very well and I see a significant difference in my oiliness when I do apply the Smashbox versus when I don’t. It also doesn’t break me out, which is important. I find that other primers I’ve used over the years do.

Skindinavia No More Shine Makeup Finish: Funny enough, when I use this mattifying spray by itself, I don’t see amazing results. But when I layer Skindinavia No More Shine (which is oil-free and paraben-free) with my Smashbox, the results are twice as good. My routine is: moisturizer, sunscreen, Smashbox, a few spritzes of the Skindinavia, and then at last we get into the mineral foundation.

Oil-Blotting Sheets: I’ve tried ‘em all over the years, and I really can’t see a significant difference between them. Sometimes I use Neutrogena, sometimes I use Clean & Clear, sometimes I use toilet-seat covers in bathrooms. (I’m not even joking here, and it totally works!) Whatever brand you use, just make sure you have some on hand, because at the end of the night for us oily gals, they’re a must.